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The Role of the United Arab Emirates in the Iran-Iraq War and the Persian Gulf War

General Norman H. Schwarzkopf presents the Legion of
Merit to Major General Muhammad Said al Badi, chief of staff,
United Arab Emirates Union Defense Force, for his contribution to
the coalition during Operation Desert Storm.Courtesy United States Air Force

Lieutenant General Charles Horner presents Muhammad an
Nahyan, a United Arab Emirates Union Defense Force air force
officer, with a pistol in recognition of his performance during
Operation Desert Storm.Courtesy United States Air Force

The attitude of the UAE during attacks on international
shipping in the Iran-Iraq War was ambivalent. The amirates
were
profiting from a brisk reexport trade with Iran;
furthermore,
they felt vulnerable because their offshore oil facilities
were
exposed to the danger of Iranian attack. Dubayy and Ras al
Khaymah in particular, with a substantial number of
Iranians and
native Shia, leaned toward Iran and were reluctant to
abandon
their neutrality. Abu Dhabi, however, as the richest oil
state,
adopted a pro-Arab stance in the war favoring Iraq. An
offshore
oil platform belonging to Abu Dhabi was hit by Iranian
missiles
in 1987; although denying responsibility, Iran paid an
indemnity.
The Department of State credited the UAE with supporting
the
United States Navy during its convoy operations despite
Iranian
threats of retaliation.

Reversing its earlier policy of avoiding collaboration
with
foreign military powers, the UAE, according to the
Department of
State, was the first gulf state to propose combined
military
action to deter Iraq when it threatened war against
Kuwait. An
air refueling exercise between United States and UAE
aircraft one
week before the invasion of Kuwait was intended as a
warning
signal to Iraq. During the Persian Gulf War, UAE troops,
reportedly numbering several hundred, participated in the
conflict as part of the GCC Peninsula Shield force that
advanced
into the city of Kuwait. United States aircraft bombed
Iraqi
positions from the UAE, and United States ships, including
aircraft carriers, operated out of UAE ports. The UAE air
force
also carried out strikes against Iraqi forces. A total of
six UAE
combat deaths were reported as a result of the fighting.

The UAE defense budget remained fairly stable at about
US$1.6
billion between 1988 and 1991. However, an additional
US$3.3
billion represented UAE contributions and pledges in 1991
to
other countries in connection with the war. Total UAE
support to
other countries participating in the Persian Gulf War was
reported to have reached US$6 billion by mid-1991;
payments of
nearly US$3.8 billion had been made to the United States,
US$500
million to Britain, and US$1.4 billion to Egypt, Jordan,
Turkey,
and seven other nations, combined, to offset their
economic
losses from the war. Oil prices and UAE oil production
rose
significantly after the outbreak of the gulf crisis;
exports rose
from US$15.5 billion in 1989 to US$21.0 billion in 1990.
However,
the balance of payments was negative for the first time as
a
result of UAE contributions to other countries affected by
the
crisis and large capital transfers out of the country
during the
period.